A great way to improve your Slovene is by asking questions and finding answers. I believe that it actually means that you are starting to understand the language and developing “your own path of learning path”, which is awesome! And remember, there are no “too stupid” question to ask, ever.
Question by perarin2015
In the expression “za dobro narave“, the preposition za is for fourth sklon, but why is it “dobro narave“. “Dobro” is neuter but “narava” is feminine and plural.
Anna’s Answer
First off, the word “dobro” is very versatile and it can fill different roles:
- as adverb (which modifies a verb, adjective or another adverb and is never declined) – Dobro delate (You work well).
- as an adjective (which describes a noun and is declined same as the noun, doberm / dobraž / dobros) – To je dobro delo1s (This is good work). Jem dobro torto4ž (I eat a good cake).
- as a noun (which is declined accordingly to the sklon) – Dobro1 in zlo sta nasprotji (Good and evil are opposite).
| Reminder: (m) moški/masculine, (ž) ženski/feminine, (s) srednji/neuter. |
In this case, dobro (good) is used as a noun, it is neuter and singular. Narava (nature) is also a noun, but feminine and singular.
“Dobro narave” means “good of nature”. As we know, when it is double nouns, the first noun is declined according to the sklon, but the second noun is always in second sklon (nounx + noun2). And the preposition za (for) is indeed used with the fourth sklon. Therefore, za dobro4s narave4ž.
| Trick: The “double nouns” in Slovene can be translated in English as two nouns connected with the preposition “of”. |
You are more than welcomed to ask me any questions about Slovene, I will be more than happy to find the answer, because it helps my understanding of Slovene and I hope that it will help yours as well. And remember, there are no “too stupid” question to ask, ever. So, don’t be shy and ask away!
Discover more Slovene “lessons” that might interest you: Slovene Numbers & Numerals, Slovene Nouns & Pronouns, Slovene Verbs, Slovene Adjectives, Slovene Syntax, Slovenian Idioms, Slovene Adverbs.
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